Skip to main content
TWI logo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
logo
wordmark
Homepage

Main navigation

  • Analysis
  • Experts
  • About
  • Support
  • Maps & Multimedia
Trending:
  • Great Power Competition
  • Proliferation
  • Turkey
  • Syria
  • Iran

Regions & Countries

  • Egypt
  • Gulf States
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Middle East
  • North Africa
  • Palestinians
  • Syria
  • Turkey

Issues

  • Arab & Islamic Politics
  • Arab-Israeli Relations
  • Democracy & Reform
  • Energy & Economics
  • Great Power Competition
  • Gulf & Energy Policy
  • Military & Security
  • Peace Process
  • Proliferation
  • Terrorism
  • U.S. Policy
TWI English
TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية TWI Persian: فارسی Fikra Forum

Breadcrumb

  • Policy Analysis

Great Power Competition

Policy Analysis on Great Power Competition

Filter by:

Brief Analysis
Iran’s Tensions with Azerbaijan Point to Broader Shifts in the South Caucasus
Amid flare-ups in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Iran and Russia are keeping a watchful eye on developments in the South Caucasus, from Israel’s warming relations with Baku to potentially shifting control over regional transport corridors.
Mar 31, 2023
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Andrew J. Tabler
A man watches Russian president Vladimir Putin speak on television in the Crimean city of Simferopol - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Russia’s Disinformation Machine Has a Middle East Advantage
The region has been most receptive to Moscow’s war narrative, which Russian state-run media outlets have been permitted to spread far and wide with no Ukrainian or Western counter-narrative.
Mar 23, 2023
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Illustration of chess pieces and the Russian and Ukrainian flags - source: Reuters
Video
Articles & Testimony
Middle East Matters, Episode Two: The Mideast Impact of the Ukraine War, One Year On
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a ripple effect on global politics, including in the Middle East.
Mar 23, 2023
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Grant Rumley
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
◆ Middle East Matters
Wang Yi, director of China's Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Minister of State and national security adviser of Saudi Arabia Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban shake hands in Beijing in March 2023 - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
The Saudi-Iran Deal Reflects a New Global Reality
Leaders in the Middle East feel more threatened by the competition between China and the United States than by the individual powers themselves, so Washington needs to adapt accordingly.
Mar 16, 2023
◆
  • Michael Singh
Newspapers at a shop in Tehran display headlines about the China-brokered Iran-Saudi deal in March 2023 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
What Beijing’s Iran-Saudi Deal Means—and What It Doesn’t
China brokered the agreement, but this does not signal a new Beijing-led order in the Middle East—in fact, it could make regional tensions worse.
Mar 15, 2023
◆
  • Henry Rome
  • Grant Rumley
Brief Analysis
China’s Track Record on Middle East Diplomacy
Beijing has responded to regional conflicts with a bevy of multilateral forums, peace plans, and envoys, but without the deeper commitments and follow-through required to resolve them.
Mar 15, 2023
◆
  • Carol Silber
Crown Prince Muhammad and President Xi walking in Riyadh.
Articles & Testimony
With Saudi-Iran Diplomacy, Is China Pushing the US Aside in the Middle East?
The surprise development may have more to do with resolving the Yemen war than rebuking the Biden administration, but the full implications will take time to register.
Mar 13, 2023
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Illustration of chess pieces and the Russian and Ukrainian flags - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
A Year of War in Ukraine
As the conflict enters year two, it remains unclear if the West has fully internalized the right lessons about Moscow, its partners in the “Global South,” or the parameters of long-term victory.
March 2023
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Articles & Testimony
How Europe Is Quietly Putting ‘Strategic Autonomy’ into Practice
The hard lessons learned in Syria have given European leaders the confidence and tools they needed to respond forcefully in Ukraine.
Mar 9, 2023
◆
  • Louis Dugit-Gros
Russian President Vladimi Putin tours an exhibit of Tsarist weapons on display in the UAE in 2007 - source: Reuteurs
Articles & Testimony
Russia Uses Middle Eastern Ties to Mitigate Isolation
By taking largely ambivalent stances on the Ukraine war, states in the region have helped ease the effects of international sanctions against Moscow.
Mar 7, 2023
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Turkish President Erdogan meets Ukrainian President Zelenskiy in Kyiv - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Unpacking Turkey’s Non-Binary Ukraine War Policy
Erdogan's stance has been pro-Ukrainian but not anti-Russian, enabling him to strike a delicate balance between NATO expectations, Moscow’s economic lifeline, and domestic political pressures.
Mar 7, 2023
◆
  • Soner Cagaptay
Articles & Testimony
The Treacherous Triangle of Syria, Iran, and Russia
If the Assad regime's two main allies emerge victorious in Syria and Ukraine, U.S. adversaries will likely conclude that the pros of challenging Washington ultimately outweigh the negatives.
Spring 2023
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Putin Netanyahu
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
The Netanyahu Government’s Approach to Russia and Ukraine
Despite increased pressure on both sides, Netanyahu is likely to maintain Israel's nonaligned approach to the conflict in Ukraine in an effort to preserve his immediate regional interests.
Feb 28, 2023
◆
  • Daniel Rakov
A Ukrainian flag flies at a naval base in Crimea in 2014 - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
The Ukraine War & the Middle East
One Year On
In a series of policy articles, media presentations, and media appearances, Washington Institute scholars discuss what could lie ahead for Ukraine, the Middle East, and the world as the war enters its second year.
Feb 24, 2023
◆
  • Shaina Katz
Crown Prince Muhammad and President Xi walking in Riyadh.
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
The Gulf Navigates a Multipolar World
Amid global uncertainty, Gulf states are seeking to strike a delicate balance between old and new partners.
Feb 24, 2023
◆
  • Fawzi al-Zubaidi
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Putin’s Position in MENA and the Turkish Elections
Putin’s shift in MENA policy suggests efforts to smooth the way for Erdoğan’s electoral bid.
Feb 24, 2023
◆
  • Baraa Sabri
Photo of Chinese and Emirati leaders walking.
Articles & Testimony
Is Ukraine the ‘War Before the War’?
As with Russia, Persian Gulf states may be reluctant to cross Beijing if conflict erupts in Asia, but Washington should remind them that even narrow financial action can help counter any Chinese moves on Taiwan.
Feb 23, 2023
◆
  • Michael Singh
Brief Analysis
China’s Growing Naval Influence in the Middle East
​​​​​​​Current Chinese basing capacity and force commitment in the region seem insufficient to support the level of economic and diplomatic engagement that appears to be Beijing’s new normal, so Washington should prepare for further expansion.
Feb 17, 2023
◆
  • Blake Herzinger
  • Ben Lefkowitz
Iranian president Raisi is greeted upon his arrival for a state visit to China in February 2023 - source: Government of Iran
Brief Analysis
Raisi Visits China: More Symbolism Than Substance
The Iranian president’s high-profile Beijing trip reaffirmed the relationship’s limits—and will probably reinforce Tehran’s uninterest in nuclear compromise.
Feb 16, 2023
◆
  • Henry Rome
Blinken Hussein
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Variables the United States Should Consider on Dollar Smuggling in Iraq
U.S. pressure on Iraq to prevent dollar smuggling and dinar laundering can protect Iraq’s sovereignty and weaken Iran. But if executed without deliberation, this pressure could allow Russia and China to enhance their positions in the Middle East.
Feb 15, 2023
◆
  • Frzand Sherko

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • …
  • Last page Last »
  • Next page Next ›
Supported by the

Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East

The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East focuses on the region as a setting for heightened competition between the United States and other world powers, such as China and Russia.

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, and special reports.

Sign up

Featured experts

Michael Singh
Michael Singh
Michael Singh is the Managing Director and Lane-Swig Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.
Anna Borshchevskaya
Anna Borshchevskaya
Anna Borshchevskaya is a senior fellow at The Washington Institute, focusing on Russia's policy toward the Middle East.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley is the Goldberger Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he specializes in military and security affairs in the Middle East.
Background image with TWI branding
logo
wordmark
Homepage

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

  • Contact
  • Press Room
  • Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

  • About TWI
  • Support the Institute

Social media

  • The Washington Institute on Facebook facebook
  • The Washington Institute on Twitter twitter
  • The Washington Institute on YouTube youtube
  • The Washington Institute on Soundcloud soundcloud

© 2023 All rights reserved.

Footer

  • Employment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rights & Permissions